The invention relates to a supporting and guiding arc for continuously cast strands, in particular for continuously cast slabs, having roller paths supporting the strand at opposite sides. The rollers of the roller paths are journaled in arcuate longitudinal carriers arranged in a framework and suitably the arcuate longitudinal carriers of one or both roller path(s) are adjustable or braceable relative to the framework under elastic deformation for adjustment to various strand thicknesses.
By means of such a supporting and guiding arc, as it is described in Austrian Pat. No. 290,750 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,847), e.g., the strand is deflected from an approximately vertical into an approximately horizontal direction. The rollers lie precisely on predetermined curved paths without discontinuities, even after a re-adjustment of the roller path distance, so that no unpermissible and locally limited forces can act on the strand skin. The arcuate longitudinal carriers designed in one piece are essential for this construction, and these arcuate longitudinal carriers extend over the entire arcuate range of the supporting and guiding arc. In this known supporting and guiding arc, repair and maintenance work proves disadvantageous, in particular when rollers have to be exchanged or new arcuate longitudinal carriers have to be inserted. In order to do this it is necessary to take the faulty roller path, together with the rollers mounted thereon, out of the framework in longitudinal direction of the roller paths, after the arcuate longitudinal carriers of that roller path have been detached from the rigid framework. The great length, the arcuate shape and the weight of the roller path to be removed in its entirety present great difficulties, since, depending on the direction of removal, sufficient space is necessary above or following the guiding arc and since crane equipment is necessary which has to be operated very carefully to assure a faultless removal and insertion of the roller paths without damaging them. It is a further disadvantage that the complicated removal requires a lot of time. In particular, when only a few rollers have to be exchanged, the ratio between the costs and amount of work caused by the removal and installation of the complete arcuate longitudinal carriers relative to the maintenance and repair work to be carried out is particularly unfavorable.